20 years ago on June 6th, 1998 Sex and the City premiered on HBO. (Does that make anyone else feel old?) After the series wrapped and added two movies, we’re still not quite over Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment.

Second only to Monica’s purple apartment from Friends, Carrie’s junior one bedroom stands out as one of the most iconic apartments from TV history.

Image credit HBO

To celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary, we took the bones of her Upper East Side abode (pre its 2008 makeover) and reimagined how it might have looked if the series took place today. (Although we’d keep Carrie’s rent from the 90s because…a girl can dream, right?).

But is it really a Sex and the City tribute if we don’t include the whole gang? We didn’t think so, so we set out to design Bradshaw’s apartment for each of our favorite characters – Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte too.

Carrie’s Take

Carrie Bradshaw was a style icon, a relationship aficionado, and always armed with the perfect one-liner. And while her outfits were ever-changing and always fabulous, her apartment remained largely the same over the show’s tenure.

Bradshaw’s apartment, unlike her wardrobe, had a lived-in and relatable quality that reminded many of us of our own homes. It wasn’t always perfectly tidy and it featured an eclectic mix of furniture styles – think flea market chic alongside mid-century modern furniture.

As a nod to the 60’s era mid-century pieces that populated Carrie’s original apartment, her new place features pieces with modern shapes.

We kept the palette mostly true to her original space. But we know Carrie wasn’t afraid of color. A bright blue sofa anchors her living room and serves as reference to her later movie makeover wall color.

SWIPE THROUGH OUR 2018 TAKE ON CARRIE BRADSHAW’S APARTMENT

Carrie’s Modsy Style: Mod Collector

Of course we had to give Carrie a desk that would keep her inspired. We thought this might be the one piece she would splurge a few paychecks on, so we picked a beautiful burl wood table that lends warmth and texture to her space.

We knew Carrie’s taste in art would have been as eclectic as her. So, we chose one statement piece and hung it off-center above her bed. In her original apartment, she had a similarly hung trio of prints. No plants take up space in Carrie’s place. She hated having things in her space that might die if not regularly maintained.

Samantha’s Take

Samantha Jones is a proud, confident, and no BS kind of lady. We styled her take on Carrie’s apartment with a minimal glam approach. We wanted the apartment to reflect Samantha’s unapologetic love of sex and portray her as the strong, classy person she was.

The apartment is clean and almost minimal, but at the same time bold and dramatic. We thought Samantha would appreciate a full sensory experience, so we picked pieces that would appeal to both the eye and the touch. We mixed materials like leather, velvet, fur, and gold for a glamorous and moody space to entertain (and we don’t mean the cheese and crackers kind of entertaining).

SWIPE THROUGH SAMANTHA’S 2018 TAKE ON CARRIE BRADSHAW’S APARTMENT

Samantha’s Modsy Style: Less is More Chic

Unlike her friends, Samantha lived in New York’s up-and-coming Meatpacking District. If she were to make the move to Carrie’s Upper East Side digs, we thought she’d appreciate the addition of the fireplace and dark charcoal paint job to give a her place a little more edge.

We kept the space where you’d typically find a coffee table, to give Samantha space for other activities. Additionally, on the shelf above her bed we gave her a tasteful ginger jar full of condoms.

We thought Samantha’s favorite piece in her new place would by far be the curvaceous, green velvet sofa. Like the diamond flower ring she acquires in the first Sex and the City Movie, it’s truly “one of a kind, and a little bit too much.”

Charlotte’s Take

We know that Charlotte would bring her discerning eye to Carrie’s apartment. We pegged her as a Refined Connoisseur, a mix of all things classic with a minimal twist. A curator by nature, we selected an elegant blend of pieces, all displaying a tastefully conservative palette.

We imagined Charlotte would want her home to be a place where she could comfortably entertain (and we mean cheese and crackers, but you know, the artisanal kind). Her living room features a simple conversational layout and is notably TV-free (we can’t imagine Charlotte being the type to “Netflix and chill”).

SWIPE THROUGH CHARLOTTE’S 2018 TAKE ON CARRIE BRADSHAW’S APARTMENT

Charlotte’s Modsy Style: Refined Connoisseur

As a leading lady in the art world, we gave special consideration to the artwork in her place. We gave her a few statement pieces around the apartment, works she might have picked up in her time at the gallery.

Her desk, a clear glass with gold accents, is as much of a statement piece as Charlotte would allow. It would be a place for her to keep up with her social correspondences and browse eligible bachelors on Match .com.

Miranda’s Take

We imagined that no-nonsense Miranda would want an apartment that gets the job done. We thought her straightforward sensibility was well represented by our Contemporary Minimalist style.

When designing her space we opted for quality, lasting pieces that don’t have a lot of frills. Miranda had a lawyer’s salary but not a lot of time. So we took her shopping at places like Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel.

Her take on Carrie’s apartment pulls from her original apartment’s color palette of greys, greens, and purples. To give it a modern edge we limited the pops of color to the accessories and gave her a lot of grey and neutral furniture.

SWIPE THROUGH MIRANDA’S 2018 TAKE ON CARRIE BRADSHAW’S APARTMENT

Miranda’s Modsy Style: Contemporary Minimalist

Instead of a desk we thought Miranda would be more apt to work on her depositions (or daydream about running for governor) from her sofa and eat Chinese takeout off the coffee table.

We also brought over the feminine undertones in her floral art to her new space with updated transitional floral pieces.

Hi Holly – all of the furniture and decor featured in our designs, blog posts, and social media is 100% real and ready to shop! You can check the bed out at CB2 or you can see how it looks and fits in your exact space through Modsy. We’ll show you how this bed (and 100s of other products) look in your exact room and you can shop your look with exclusive discounts! Feel free to reach out with any questions to hello@modsy.com or get started on a project at modsy.com!

Oh Modsy…I’m in love with the wall colours!
Could you please tell me the wall colour for Samantha and Mirandas rooms?
Thank you very much for the colour inspiration. My floors are similar so i’m loving these looks!

Hi Bianca – Agreed, it’s a lovely piece! The rug is the Talia Printed Rug from Pottery Barn. If you’d like to see how it looks in your space first (and shop with insider discounts) we can show it to you in your space with magical 3D! Just sign up for a Modsy design package to get started.

Hello, I love the re-imagined looks for “Sex and the City” and “Friends”!
Would you please provide me the wall, trim, and closet colors for Carrie’s look? Also, what is the wall color and dark cabinet color/finish for Monica and Chandler’s look? Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide.

Hi Nicole, thanks for asking! We’re so glad you loved our take on these iconic TV apartments. We did our best to match the paint colors from Carrie’s original apartment, so while we don’t have the exact color info, here is a close alternative from Jeff Lewis you can check out. And for the cabinets, check out this color also by Jeff Lewis!